The journey back to the oasis seemed longer than the trip there. Xiao Yan leaned against the Crimson Sand Lizard's back, circulating his Origin Qi with all his strength to recover. After obtaining the Origin Stabilizing Divine Stone, he could clearly sense a subtle repulsion between it and the Space Fragment in his Storage Ring. One force stabilized while the other broke through; just as the Sand Keeper had said, one could counter the other.
The Crimson Sand Lizard seemed to sense his exhaustion as well. Its pace was swift but steady, and it avoided every hidden danger along the way.
Three days later, the familiar oasis appeared in the distance. The Sand Keeper still stood at the edge of the light barrier, leaning on his staff, as though he had not moved since they left.
"You're back." A faint glimmer flashed through the Sand Keeper's clouded eyes as he looked at Xiao Yan. "Did you get the Origin Stabilizing Divine Stone?"
Xiao Yan swung himself down and took out the Origin Stabilizing Divine Stone. "Fortunately, I did not fail you."
A soft halo flowed across the pale golden stone in the sunlight. Its stable spatial power sent faint ripples through the surrounding air. The Sand Keeper reached out with a bony finger and gently touched the stone, a complex look appearing in his eyes. "Ten thousand years. I never thought I'd see it again... When we sealed the rift back then, we relied on this divine stone to suppress the spatial fluctuations."
He withdrew his hand and looked at Xiao Yan. "With it, the Space Fragment's power can be suppressed. If you find the right opportunity, you may even be able to annihilate the fragment completely."
"Senior, do you know how I can return to the Northern Region?" Xiao Yan asked the question that concerned him most. The Crimson Sand Desert was cut off from the outside world, and the distance of hundreds of millions of light-years was far beyond what a person could traverse.
The Sand Keeper looked at the Void Origin Stone fragment in his hand. "The answer is on you. The Void Origin Stone is a fragment of the Heart of Void Origin, an ancient supreme spatial treasure. It contains the origin of space and can not only protect its master but also tear through space to transport you. Your current cultivation is insufficient, however, so you cannot fully control its power."
"Then what should I do?"
"The Origin Stabilizing Divine Stone can stabilize space, and the Void Origin Stone can tear through it. Together, they may be able to open a temporary passage," the Sand Keeper said thoughtfully. "But it will greatly deplete the divine stone, and the passage will be extremely unstable. You could very well be transported somewhere unknown, or even swept into a spatial current."
Xiao Yan's gaze hardened. "Even if there's only a sliver of hope, I have to try. The matter of the Blood Shadow Cult cannot be delayed any longer."
The Sand Keeper looked deeply at him and nodded. "Very well. In three days, when the moon is full, the spatial fluctuations in the desert will be at their most stable. I'll help you activate the divine stone then. Spend these three days preparing well, and do your best to recover to your peak."
Over the next three days, Xiao Yan immersed himself in cultivation once more. The energy of the living spring, the remaining power of the Red Flame Grass, and the spatial power emanating from the Origin Stabilizing Divine Stone all became nourishment for his recovery. Not only was his Origin Qi completely replenished, but his perception of spatial power also became several times sharper. He could faintly touch the threshold of the laws of space.
On the third night, an incomplete blood moon did indeed rise into the dark red sky. Moonlight spilled over the crimson sand, casting an eerie red glow.
At the center of the oasis, the Sand Keeper traced intricate runes with his Origin Qi and placed the Origin Stabilizing Divine Stone and the Void Origin Stone fragment at the heart of the formation. The instant the two stones touched, pale gold and pitch-black light intertwined, forming a spinning vortex of energy.
"Step inside." A hint of fatigue colored the Sand Keeper's voice; maintaining the formation was taking a tremendous toll on him. "Remember, whatever you encounter, hold fast to your mind. The Void Origin Stone has recognized you as its master. It may be able to protect you once more in a moment of danger."
Xiao Yan took a deep breath and cast one last look at the Sand Keeper's aged figure and the Crimson Sand Lizard rumbling softly beside him. Then he stepped resolutely into the vortex.
"Take care, Senior!"
"Safe travels."
The Sand Keeper's voice gradually faded as the vortex's pull abruptly intensified. Xiao Yan felt the world spin around him, countless flashes of light and shadow streaking before his eyes. The agony of space squeezing him nearly made him faint. He held tightly to his senses as his Origin Qi and Heavenly Flames erupted at once, protecting his meridians.
The Void Origin Stone fragment grew hot in his palm, and a black barrier of light wrapped around him, counteracting most of the spatial tearing force.
He did not know how much time passed. It seemed an instant, yet also an eternity.
"Boom!"
Xiao Yan slammed into hard ground. Darkness filled his vision, and he lost consciousness completely.
When he woke again, a bone-piercing chill made him shudder. He found himself lying on a frozen wasteland. Great flakes of snow drifted down from the sky, and an unbroken range of snowy mountains stretched into the distance. All between heaven and earth was vast and desolate.
"Where is this...?" Xiao Yan struggled upright and checked his condition. Aside from some superficial wounds, he was unharmed, and the Origin Stabilizing Divine Stone and Void Origin Stone fragment lay safely in his Storage Ring.
He circulated his Origin Qi to drive away the cold and looked around. Thick snow blanketed the wasteland, and he could just make out the remains of some vicious beasts frozen into ice sculptures, emanating an ancient, desolate presence.
"This isn't the Northern Region..." Xiao Yan frowned slightly. The Northern Region had bitterly cold places, but none looked like this.
Just then, hurried footsteps came from the distance, accompanied by heavy panting.
"Quick! Don't let that girl get away!"
"The cult master ordered us to capture her alive and bring her back to headquarters!"
Several figures in black appeared from behind a snowy slope, chasing a petite figure. The figure wore thin red clothing that stood out starkly against the snow, and from her build, she was a young girl.
The girl was clearly exhausted. She staggered, blood staining the corner of her mouth, yet she gritted her teeth and kept running forward. Wind and snow had torn the hem of her red dress to shreds.
"Blood Shadow Cult?!" Xiao Yan's gaze turned icy. He had not expected to run into the Blood Shadow Cult again so soon after leaving the Crimson Sand Desert!
His Origin Qi surged into motion in an instant, and the Green Lotus Core Flame ignited in his palm. His figure blurred as he charged out like a bolt of crimson lightning.
The black-clad pursuers were about to surround her when they suddenly sensed a scorching presence bearing down on them.
"Who's there?!"
Before they could react, a ribbon of flame came roaring toward them, engulfing the two at the front in an instant. Their screams cut off abruptly, and the two were reduced to charred lumps.
The remaining three turned in horror to see a young man in cyan robes walking slowly toward them, flames swirling around him and his gaze cold as a blade.
"Xiao Yan?!" One of them recognized him, his face filling with disbelief and terror. "Didn't you die at Soul-Severing Cliff?!"
Xiao Yan could not be bothered with idle talk. The Heavy Xuan Ruler appeared in his hand, flames wrapping around its length. "You shouldn't have come here."
"He's trouble! Retreat!" The black-clad leader reacted swiftly, turning to flee.
"Stay!"
Xiao Yan stepped forward and caught up to the black-clad man in the lead, sweeping the Heavy Xuan Ruler through the air.
"Boom!"
The black-clad man's protective Origin Qi shattered like paper. He was sent flying, crashing into an icy rock, and died coughing up blood.
The remaining two were scared out of their wits, but a red figure blocked their path-the girl in red. At some point, she had gathered the last trace of her Origin Qi, and she held an ice spike in her hand, her gaze as unyielding as a plum blossom in the cold.
"Kill them!" The girl's voice was hoarse but resolute.
Xiao Yan met her eyes, and they saw the killing intent in each other's gaze. He held nothing back. Flames spread out and swallowed the two men in an instant.
Silence returned to the wasteland, leaving only the howling wind and snow.
The tension drained from the girl's body, and she slumped into the snow, gasping violently. She raised her head, revealing a face smeared with dirt that could not conceal her delicate beauty. Her eyes were astonishingly bright, like cold stars against the snow.
"Thank you..." Her voice was faint. Her vision gradually blurred, and at last everything went black as she fainted.
Xiao Yan went over to examine her and found that she had merely collapsed from exhaustion. Her Origin Qi was in disarray, and she seemed to have suffered grave internal injuries. He took off his outer robe, wrapped it around her, and lifted her into his arms.
The wind and snow were growing stronger, and it was unwise to linger. He looked toward the distant snowy mountains, where faint energy fluctuations could be sensed. Perhaps he could find a place to stay there for the time being.
Holding the girl, Xiao Yan trudged into the wind and snow, his steps sinking to different depths. He did not know that this girl in red, pursued by the Blood Shadow Cult, would reveal deeper secrets of the cult to him and draw him into an even greater storm.
Meanwhile, at Soul-Severing Cliff far away in the Northern Region, the spatial rift was expanding at a speed visible to the naked eye under the Blood Shadow Cult master's direction. The shadow of the Domain of Darkness had quietly fallen over a corner of the Great Thousand World.
The road home was long and fraught with danger, but Xiao Yan's steps had never ceased.